Warning: This is based off a manga called Sengoku Strays. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend that you do! I don't own anything but my OC, and I will probably end up using artistic license to butcher Japanese history, so I would just like to apologize in advance, and I don't mean to offend anyone!

[Narration]

{setting/stage directions}

"Speech."

'Thoughts.'

"English speech."

—¡–!–¡–!–¡— Scene shift/passage of time.

A whole line of text like this without quotes is a written letter or something similar.

WORDS IN ALL CAPS AND NO QUOTATION MARKS ARE SOUND EFFECTS.

Flashbacks and changes in POV will be labeled.

Unless stated otherwise, the POV will be third person omniscient.

If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Previously:

Isshin ran a hand through his hair as he sighed resignedly. Ayako really had traveled back in time... but at least it sounded like she would be coming back, since Nobunaga said she left the Sengoku era...

'And when she does, I'll be here waiting for her.' Isshin thought as he made his way back to his room so that he could continue reading his niece's diary. Of course, once Ayako was back safe and sound, he was going to give her a real scolding for making him worry. Something like one hundred laps around the temple grounds might be enough...

"Haah..." Hiroshi sighed listlessly as he trudged along the wooden porch, carrying the jar of homemade sake Isshin had asked him to fetch. He paused as he passed the storehouse and stared at it solemnly. It had only been a couple of days since Ayako's disappearance, but it felt like it had been years since he last spoke to the spunky girl. 'Come one, Ayako, just how long are you going to make us worry...?' Hiroshi thought sadly. Although he was Isshin's apprentice, Hiroshi had no intention of really becoming a monk. It was really just an excuse to satisfy the other monks who were against Isshin adopting Hiroshi... However, if it could bring Ayako back, Hiroshi would really shave his head bald and become a real monk it meant he'd be able to get his cute little adopted sister back...

FLASH!

Hiroshi's eyes widened in shock when a bright, blue light, just like the one Isshin had described seeing the day Ayako went missing, suddenly flashed from within the storehouse. He stood there, too numb with shock to move, as the light died down and faded away. The jar of sake slipped from his hands and fell to the floor.

CRASH!

The ceramic jar shattered and sake spilled out onto the porch as Hiroshi ran to the storehouse, praying that this wasn't just a hallucination. He threw open the door and froze in his tracks when he saw what awaited him inside. There, lying on the floor, was an unconscious Ayako. Her hair was shorter, and she was wearing an oversized-haori and armor that had the emblem of the Oda clan on it. But other than that, she still looked exactly the same as she had when he last saw her. Hiroshi dropped to his knees beside the sleeping Ayako. It was then that he noticed something horrifying. Blood. Blood was starting to bleed through Ayako's clothing—It looked like she had been shot!

"I... Isshiiiinnn-saaammaaa!!" Hiroshi yelled desperately, not daring to move from that spot, lest Ayako disappeared on them again somehow. "Isshiiinnn-saaammaaa!!"

"What the hell are you screaming for? You trying to raise the dead!?" Isshin demanded, vein mark throbbing on his head as he came running into the storehouse to shut Hiroshi up.

"Isshin-sama! It's Ayako—She's back!! And she's bleeding!!" Hiroshi cried anxiously as Isshin's eyes widened in shock.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Mmng..." Ayako groaned groggily as she tried to open her eyes. For some reason, the back of her left shoulder was hurting a little, and she felt like she had been drugged... "Nobunaga... what...?" She asked drowsily as she slowly opened her eyes, hoping he might know what was going on. Ayako froze when she saw where she was. The pristine and smooth white walls... the smell of medicine and disinfectant... the creepy feeling of having an IV needle stuck into her arm... and the usual hospital bed that she was lying in... Ayako has somehow gone back to the future!! 'No way!?' She thought, panicking. 'We were just at battle against Kiyosu! How could this be!?'

KA-CHAK.

"Hmph. I see that you're finally awake!" An elderly woman wearing a simple but elegant kimono said coolly as she entered the room, followed by Isshin and Hiroshi.

"A-Ayakooo-chaaannn~!" Hiroshi cried dramatically as he launched himself at her, sobbing his eyes out in relief that she had finally woken up,, mumbling incoherently about how glad he was that she was all right.

"Oi. Don't be too rough with her, or you'll reopen her wounds." Isshin said sternly, though he couldn't really blame Hiroshi for his enthusiasm... After suddenly reappearing in the temple's storehouse with a gunshot wound in her shoulder, Ayako had been unconscious for nearly two whole days. They were afraid she had slipped into a coma...

"Uncle Isshin... Hiroshi-kun... wha-what's going on...?" Ayako asked, shell-shocked. She knew she should be happy to see them—and she was—but how on earth was this possible...? Had the whole thing been a dream!? Ayako couldn't help but feel a profound sense of loss that left her filled with a dreadful emptiness at the thought. She loved Nobunaga far too much for it to be just an illusion!

"I was hoping you could tell me." Isshin said, sighing tiredly as he ruffled her hair. He looked like he hadn't slept for days. "First, you suddenly skip off to the Sengoku era on us, and then just as suddenly, you reappear with a serious wound that rendered you unconscious for two whole days! Give me a little more warning, would you? I'm getting to old for this crap." Ayako's eyes widened when she heard that. So it really wasn't a dream... but how did Isshin know where she had been al this time!?

"I'm so glad you're back! I was so shocked when I found you unconscious and bleeding! That bastard Nobunaga—how could he let you get hurt like this after writing that you were his wife!?" Hiroshi ranted hysterically.

"Wait, what—!?" Ayako shouted in surprise, blushing.

"Apparently, Nobunaga found the diary you were keeping for me after you returned to our time. I was able to read it since I found it after you disappeared. From the inscription he wrote in the back of it, it seems he had waited for you for quite a while before finally writing instructions for it to be sent to our temple, along with some of your belongings. It looks like you're back with us for good now." Isshin explained calmly. He watched Ayako carefully, wondering what her reaction could be. As he had continued to read her diary, Isshin had seen how much Ayako had come to love Nobunaga, and the last entry had been about how she was nervous about riding off into her first real battle, and how excited she was to get married with the young lord once it was over... Although Isshin new that Ayako had missed them, he also knew that returning meant she had left behind someone that had become extremely important to her. This was not going to be the happy reunion Hiroshi was probably imagining...

"I won't... see him again...?" Ayako asked, gripping the sheets tightly in her hands as she trembled slightly, and tears silently rolled down her cheeks. "Uncle Isshin... that can't be right... because we...!"

"Ayako..." Hiroshi said, but he was stopped when Isshin laid a hand on his shoulder and shook his head at the boy, telling him to let it go.

"I know. It's not fair... I'm sorry, Ayako." Isshin said solemnly as he held his niece gently. He furrowed his brow and grit his teeth in frustration as Ayako burst into uncontrollable sobbing, unable to do anymore for her.

"Nobunagaaa! Noooo! Aaaaaah! Nobunagaaaa!" Ayako screamed, stricken with grief at the thought of never being able to see him again. How did it come to this!? Why—Why had they been separated after everything they had been through...!?

=Flashback=

{1552 AD—The battle against Kiyosu}

"Hmph, I've made up my mind—" Nobunaga said, avoiding her gaze. He knew she had already figured out what his next words would be, and he hated that it was causing her pain—but he was not going to let any more harm come to her or his strange 'family.' He would do what he had to protect them. "Gorouza... help Ayako down from my horse. I... will be going out alone!" Nobunaga declared, determined to end this bloody battle.

"—Like hell you are!" Ayako yelled, angry and determined, as she clung to Nobunaga when Gorouza came over to help her down. She was not letting him go out there alone!

"My Lord! Ayako is right, we cannot allow you to face such an enemy alo—!" Gorouza said. He froze mid-sentence, shocked, as Nobunaga pulled Ayako into a deep and passionate kiss. Ayako was too stunned to react. You know how people often say that they see fire works when they kiss? Well, in this case—it was the freaking 4th of July! For a girl who was finally getting her first kiss, it was pretty overwhelming... in an awesome way. However, just as Ayako relaxed, closed her eyes, and started to return the kiss, she felt a sharp pressure in the back of her neck, and her vision quickly faded to black as she lost consciousness.

"A-Ayako!" Kasane cried alarm when Nobunaga suddenly hit her on the back of the neck, knocking the blond girl out. Nobunaga held onto her now limp body so she wouldn't fall off of his horse. "My lord, what are you—!" Kasane started to ask nervously, concerned for her friend, when Nobunaga cut her off.

"Girl, I'm leaving Ayako in your care for now." Nobunaga told Kasane solemnly as he handed Ayako down to her. "Since it's her, she'll probably recover quickly. Be sure that she is ready when she does."

"You're... really going out alone...!? Surely you're joking, Brother!?" Nobuyuki asked anxiously. The fact that Nobunaga was leaving Ayako behind showed just how dangerous whatever the lord of Owari was planning really was. "Please consider our situation! We destroyed the bridge in order to prevent a rush from the Kiyosu forces. Then the ambush came behind us, and now Yoshitatsu's forces are before us. Also, the Kiyosu forces are crossing the river elsewhere. The enemy has cut us off from three directions! And you want to run out in front of an unbroken line of gunmen...! It's reckless beyond belief! Even if you have a plan, our general cannot go out in to battle!" Nobuyuki said earnestly.

"Th-That's right, my lord!" Kasane added anxiously. No wonder Ayako had been so desperate to stop him before!

"My lord! My lord!" The soldiers all shouted anxiously, nervous for their leader.

"Hmph! There's no time to argue about this." Nobunaga said sternly, his decision made. This was why he had resorted to knocking Ayako out. He knew she would never let him ride out alone like this, and he couldn't have her endangered as well... and he had to get going before she regained consciousness again. Ayako really was an 'oni-hime' when you got her mad. Everyone stared at the young lord of Owari in stunned silence. They knew that tone of voice meant that there was no stopping him now. He was really doing this. "Everyone remove your armor and stand guard against a rear attack! I will be going out alone!" Nobunaga declared.

"My lord...!" The soldiers said uneasily, shifting nervously as they grit their teeth and clenched their fists, unable to defy Nobunaga's orders.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Lord Yoshitatsu! Nobunaga's troops are crumbling! There seems to be disorder in his ranks, and he's retreating in chaos!" One of Yoshitatsu's soldiers reported as they knelt beside Yoshitatsu's horse, though he didn't know why he bothered, since Yoshitatsu could also see what was happening from his position.

'... Hmph. His soldiers are a mish-mash, after all. Facing such a huge gap in strength, his only option should be retreat!' Yoshitatsu thought smugly. 'But I won't allow this opportunity to pass!' He was going to crush Nobunaga! "All troops advance! We will take Nobunaga out in one stroke!" He commanded.

"W...Wait, my lord! That's...!" The soldier beside him yelled anxiously when he saw what was heading towards them. Nobunaga, the lord of Owari, was galloping towards them all by himself—full speed ahead!

"N—No... Nobunaga... is rushing us alone...!?" Yoshitatsu's soldiers cried incredulously, unnerved by Nobunaga's crazy move.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Gahh! He really went off by himself!" One of Nobunaga's soldiers cried in disbelief as he held his head and sweated nervously.

"Wh... What should we do!?" Another cried anxiously. They were all dumbfounded by their lord's suicidal actions.

"Now that it's come to this... the only thing we can do is to believe in him, and do as he says..." Ayako said calmly as she slowly stood up from where she had been laying on the ground next to Kasane.

"A-Ayako...!?" Kasane said, surprised to see her awake. They all stared at her in astonishment. Not only had she just recovered from a blow that should have knocked her out for hours in a few minutes, but now she, the one who had been most anxious to stop Nobunaga, was saying to just let him go!? Ayako stuck two fingers in her mouth and let out a sharp whistle.

"Nobunaga's no fool, despite what he would have others believe. We of all people know that the best! Don't worry, I've figured out what he has planned. I'm going to ride out with him—whether he likes it or not—but you lot need to wait here for now. Strip out of your armor, and listen to Lord Nobuyuki until the time comes to act!" Ayako said boldly as a horse that had lost its rider in the fight ran up to her, and Ayako grabbed hold of the saddle and swung her self onto its back, taking off after Nobunaga. "Nobunaga, you'd better not die on me, because I still haven't paid you back for that stunt you just pulled!" Ayako shouted, vein mark throbbing on her head, and emitting an ominous aura as she sped off on her new horse.

"Onihime!" The soldiers cried as they watched the girl ride off in a fury after their lord, like hell on wheels.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Impossible! I don't believe it!" One of Yoshitatsu's soldiers said, shocked.

"Just what are Nobunaga's troops thinking...!?" Another asked. The only one following Nobunaga was a golden-haired foreigner... who seemed to be really pissed off...

'Is he acting as bait? Or is this just a diversion...? But would that one rider be chasing after him in such a fury if it was...?' Yoshitatsu wondered as he furrowed his brow in confusion. '—No, no matter what this is, now there's no way I can miss him...!' "Prepare to fire!" He ordered his troops.

"~Uh! Th.. They're going to fire at them! Wh-What should we do!?" Kasane asked anxiously as she sweated nervously and waved her arms up and down nervously.

"J-Just calm down!" Kuranosuke told her, also sweating nervously as he and the three fools watched anxiously as the enemy aimed at Nobunaga.

"L-Lord Kanjuuro!" A soldier shouted nervously, hoping Nobunaga's younger brother had something up his sleeve to help their lord. Nobuyuki closed his eyes as he sweated nervously, considered everything Ayako had just told them.

"... Everyone, quickly... take off your armor." Nobuyuki said finally.

"!?" The soldiers all gasped in shock and alarm. "L-Lord Kanjuuro...!" was he telling them to just abandon their lord and Onihime!?

"This bothers me, too...! But Onihime is right... right now, all we can do is trust in my brother...!" Nobuyuki said, gritting his teeth as he squeezed his hands nervously, praying his brother would be all right. The soldiers glanced nervously at eachother, still feeling uneasy about letting their lord ride off alone.

'Nobuyuki...!' Kasane thought worriedly, understanding how hard it must be to watch while a family member was in danger.

—¡–!–¡–!–¡—

"Yo!" Ayako said as she pulled up alongside Nobunaga's horse and waved to him with a mock salute. Nobunaga furrowed his brow as he frowned at her in disapproval.

"Go back, Ayako! I don't want you in danger! That's why I left you with that girl..." Nobunaga said sternly, fuming that Kasane had let Ayako get in to danger after he had ordered her to watch her.

"Don't blame Kasane when not even you could stop me!" Ayako scolded him. "Just so you know, I'm super pissed off that you used my first kiss against me like that, but I'll get you for that later! I've more or less figured out your plan, and if you think I'm letting you go into enemy territory alone, then think again, because I'm coming with! Wild horses couldn't drag me away from you!"

"..." Nobunaga said as he stared at her determined face for a moment. As much as he didn't want Ayako out here with him, he knew there was no stopping her now. This girl was a force of nature. "Hmph." Nobunaga said, smirking proudly at his bride to be. "I guess it can't be helped, then. Be careful and stay close as you follow me!" He ordered. He'd scold her for disobeying him later...

"Yes, Sir!" Ayako said, smirking as she tightened her grip on the reigns and fell in line behind Nobunaga.